We direct bill counselling services to Pacific Blue Cross, GreenShield, Canada Life & Sun Life! For a full list of direct billing providers, click here.
We direct bill counselling services to Pacific Blue Cross, GreenShield, Canada Life & Sun Life! For a full list of direct billing providers, click here.
Connect with us
Our Vancouver counselling office is located steps from Skytrain and bus routes, with free and paid street parking nearby. Whole Foods across the street will validate parking in their lot for up to 2 hours with the purchase of $20.
For in-office sessions, your counsellor will meet you in the lobby of 525 West 8th Avenue. For nature-based therapy in Vancouver and Burnaby, your practitioner will email you a location prior to you session.
Our office has single-stall, universal bathrooms that are also wheelchair accessible. In collective care and solidarity with our immunocompromised kin, our office is equipped with an air purifier, hand sanitizer, and masks. If you are feeling ill, please email your counsellor to switch to a virtual session.
Counselling in Port Moody
Our Port Moody location is 201-101 Klahanie Drive (entrance beside Cafe Divano). A 10 min walk from Moody Centre or Inlet Centre Skytrain with free street parking and parking available at the back of the building.
This office has single stall bathrooms with masks available. If you are feeling ill, please email your counsellor to switch to a virtual session.
Get Connected
Most emails for Venturous counsellors are formatted firstname@venturouscounselling.com
For general enquiries or to connect with Abby, email connect@venturouscounselling.com
You can also text us at 778 775 7504.
Our email and phone are not monitored for emergencies. If you need immediate support, please reach out to your care web or access our free resource database here for supports and anti-carceral crisis lines.
Q&A
Consults are a great way to do a vibe check with us before diving head first into our counselling work. Your comfortability with your counsellor and the ways in which we can build a trusting, collaborative relationship are the key indicators of therapeutic effectiveness.
We highly recommend doing a consult with us first for virtual sessions, and all in-person sessions must be preceded with a consult. This way we can give you important info about our office and other necessary information about in-person sessions beforehand.
If you have any questions about consults, please email the practitioner you are hoping to consult with or connect@venturouscounselling.com. We’ve also created a free PDF guide with everything you need to know to get the most of your consult here (scroll to the bottom!).
Your first session is a space to get to know you and your situation better, at your own pace. We understand that seeking therapy can be influenced by various systemic barriers and past experiences with healthcare systems. Many folks feel anxious in their first session – please know that there’s literally no way to do your first session “wrong”!
The most important thing to remember is that you don’t owe us your story – you can share as much or as little as you want. Sometimes, you might feel like you need to build more relationship with us before you’re comfortable sharing. Part of our anti-oppressive approach resists the idea that you have to share every tender experience of your life in order to access services. Instead, you have full control over what you share and how we proceed.
During our time together, we’ll:
Venturous integrates multiple therapeutic approaches (EMDR, somatic, nature-based, art & play therapy) while maintaining a strong commitment to anti-carceral, intersectional, feminist therapy. Our counsellors receive ongoing training in intersectional feminism and anti-colonial frameworks, unlearning alongside you to provide culturally responsive care.
Most universities and extended health benefits providers cover counselling services rendered by a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC). However, individual plans differ, so please check with your provider to confirm.
We also work with various EAPs and are FNHA, WorkBC, and ICBC approved providers. These programs cover most, if not all of your counselling costs. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions!
We accept e-transfers to connect@venturouscounselling.com and credit cards. After processing, we’ll issue you a PDF receipt. If our services are covered by your extended health benefits plan, you can submit this receipt to your provider for reimbursement or you can provide us with your insurance information and we can direct bill for you.
To access a list of insurers that generally accept direct billing, click here.
Please note, insurers accept direct billing on an individual plan basis. That means, even if our services are covered, your particular plan may not allow us to direct bill for you. After your first session, we’ll submit a direct bill request and confirm with you whether or not your plan qualifies.
We understand that life happens and flexibility is important for mental health support. We ask for 24 hours notice when possible for cancellations or rescheduling. We’re particularly understanding about cancellations related to mental health symptoms, chronic illness flare-ups, or unexpected life circumstances. You can reschedule through our online booking system, by text at 778-775-7504, or by email at connect@venturouscounselling.com. You can also email your practitioner directly. All practitioner emails (with the exception of Abby) are formatted as firstname@venturouscounselling.com. We’ll work with you to find a new appointment time that works for your schedule.
Absolutely! A crucial part of our approach is exploring with you how these different modalities can fit with what you’re hoping to address and the contexts that impact how we approach this work. Sometimes, this looks like redefining what healing looks like for us and how we’re impacted to view ourselves in certain ways because of how we’ve been trained up in this world. These modalities are meant to “add colours to your painting” rather than replace it completely. In most circumstances, you’ll find yourself weaving in and out of these practices and your therapist will support you in navigating that!
At Venturous, we recognize that healing is deeply connected to your cultural identity, lived experiences and societal contexts. Our anti-oppressive therapy approach acknowledges and addresses how systemic context, your intersecting identities of privilege and/or oppression, and our relationships impact mental health.
We actively center BIPOC and 2SLGBTQ+ perspectives, acknowledging the impacts of colonialism, racial capitalism, and other forms of systemic oppression. Our approach considers your whole identity and lived experience, recognizing that healing happens within the context of social justice and collective care.
Your therapist will work with you to:
We believe that therapeutic healing isn’t just individual – it’s connected to broader community care and social change. Our commitment is to provide therapy that truly understands and validates your full experience, while creating opportunties for collective care.
While there are general guidelines for how each therapy might support particular concerns, everybody experiences these therapies differently. Exploration and play are core values of Venturous, and we encourage you to experiment with us to see what works and what doesn’t. You can consult with your therapist about what might be a good start for your particular context and we’ll explore these options with you. That being said, go with your gut! If you’re feeling drawn to a particular type of therapy, let’s start there!
Our Vancouver office is located at 525 West 8th Avenue, Vancouver, BC V5Z 1C6, please meet us in the lobby and your counsellor will come bring you up to our floor. Our Port Moody office is at 101 Klahanie Dr #201, Port Moody, BC V3H 0C3. Both locations offer the same high-quality, justice-oriented counselling services with easy access to public transit, parking, and gender neutral bathrooms. You can choose the location that works best for you, or switch between locations as needed. We also offer secure virtual counselling sessions across British Columbia for added convenience and covid-safer support.
Our Vancouver office at 525 West 8th Avenue is easily accessible by public transit. Take the Canada Line to Broadway-City Hall Station, then it’s a short 5-minute walk east along Broadway and south on Cambie Street. Alternatively, take Bus #9, #17, or #99 B-Line along Broadway and get off at Broadway and Cambie. The building is wheelchair accessible with elevator access to the 7th floor. Transit accessibility is important to us as we believe everyone should be able to access mental health support regardless of transportation barriers.
Our Port Moody office is a 7 minute walk from Moody Centre Skytrain or Inlet Centre Skytrain with free parking near by. The building is wheelchair accessible with elevator access to the second floor.
Yes, both our Vancouver and Port Moody offices have parking options available. Our Vancouver office at 525 West 8th Avenue has paid street parking and nearby parking lots. Our Port Moody office at 101 Klahanie Dr has free parking available in the building’s parking lot. We understand that finding parking can be stressful when you’re already dealing with mental health concerns, so we’re happy to provide specific parking directions when you book your appointment.
Yes, both our Vancouver and Port Moody offices are fully wheelchair accessible. Our Vancouver office has elevator access to the 7th floor, accessible washrooms, and wide hallways. Our Port Moody office is ground-level accessible with an elevator to the 2nd floor, accessible parking spaces and washrooms. We’re committed to ensuring that physical barriers don’t prevent anyone from accessing mental health support. If you have specific accessibility needs, please let us know when booking so we can ensure everything is prepared for your visit.
We prioritize your health and safety with several measures in place. Both offices have air purifiers running continuously, hand sanitizer available, and we maintain clean, sanitized spaces between appointments with masks available. Our offices are designed to feel safe and welcoming, with comfortable seating, natural lighting, and a calm atmosphere. We also have clear protocols for emergency situations and maintain confidential, secure spaces for all sessions.
Yes, we provide secure, confidential virtual counselling sessions to clients throughout British Columbia. Our virtual platform is HIPAA-compliant and easy to use from the comfort of your own space. Virtual sessions are particularly helpful for people with mobility challenges, those in remote areas, busy schedules, or during times when in-person sessions aren’t possible. Many clients find virtual sessions just as effective as in-person therapy, and you can always switch between virtual and in-person sessions based on your needs and preferences.
When you arrive at either office, you’ll find a welcoming, calm environment designed to help you feel more comfortable. Our offices have waiting areas, accessible washrooms, and a peaceful atmosphere. Your counsellor will greet you and escort you to their private office for your session.
Our counselling offices are open Monday 9:00-17:00, Tuesday 9:00-19:00, Wednesday 11:00-20:00, Thursday 9:00-20:00, Friday 9:00-18:00, Saturday 9:00-12:00, and Sunday 10:00-20:00. We offer flexible scheduling to accommodate work schedules, school commitments, and other life demands with evening and weekend appointments. Book your appointment online or text us at 778-775-7504 to find a time that works for you.
Booking is easy and can be done online or by phone. Start with our free 15-minute consultation where we’ll discuss your needs and match you with the right counsellor. You can also complete our 3-minute matching form to help us understand what you’re looking for. For questions or phone bookings, reach out to us at 778-775-7504 (we prefer text messages). We typically respond within 24 hours and will work with you to find appointment times that fit your schedule.
For your first appointment, bring your extended health insurance card if you have coverage. If you’re using our sliding scale community pool, we’ll send you a link to our self-qualifying sliding scale calculator beforehand. Bring any questions you have about therapy, your goals, or our approach. Most importantly, bring yourself as you are – there’s no need to prepare or have everything figured out. We’ll work together to create a plan that feels right for you.
Absolutely! Here at Venturous, each of our pratitioners has a community pool of sliding scale rates to ensure that we can support folx experiencing financial barriers. When you access sliding scale, our counsellors will send you a self-qualifying infographic to help you determine what might work best for you and will revisit this conversation at regular intervals.
Our community pool of sliding scale rates is dynamic and changes depending on how many folx are accessing sliding scale with us at any given time. If you are no longer in need of sliding scale, please make sure to let your practitioner know so that we can offer that spot to your community members.
Thank you for wanting to support our shared community through generous rates! Please let your practitioner know the rate at which you’re comfortable with us charging and we’ll set it up for you on the backend. Your generous rates go 100% towards subsidizing lower-cost services for your community members in need.
Absolutely. Please head to our booking page and click the “buy gift card” option at the bottom of the left navigation bar. All gifted sessions must be used within 6 months of purchase. After 6 months, the monetary value of any unused sessions will be donated to mutual aid efforts in so-called BC.
Currently, our counselling services are predominantly provided in English. However, we understand the importance of accessing mental health support in your preferred language and can help connect you with culturally and linguistically appropriate resources when needed. Our counsellors bring diverse cultural backgrounds and understand the unique experiences of navigating multiple languages and cultures. Some counsellors are also able to converse in other languages such as Punjabi and Cantonese.
That depends on many factors such as what your goals are, what you’re hoping to get from therapy, and whether or not you and your counsellor are a good fit. Clients who work with us for personal growth reasons tend to continue their counselling relationship with us for a longer period of time when compared to folks who are looking to solve a specific problem.
99.9% of the time, absolutely. Confidentiality is one of the most important principles in our profession.
But there are exceptions. These exceptions are generally safety- or legally-related such as 1) when there is an immediate risk of harm to yourself or another person, 2) if a child or vulnerable adult is at risk of harm, or 3) a judge subpoenas our records. You can also request or consent to disclosure.
In addition, all the forms and session platforms we use are HIPAA compliant. That means your information is protected when using these platforms. Email communications however, are not end-to-end encrypted. So we recommend keeping confidential information out of email communications.
Registered Clinical Counsellors are trained in a variety of areas and at minimum, have a Masters degree and have passed an extensive practicum experience. Some counsellors even pursue extra, more specialized training to broaden their effectiveness. Social workers usually offer more practical support such as connecting you with housing, jobs, or other services, but some do decide to focus on therapeutic work. Finally, Psychologists holds either a PsyD or PhD. Because of the extra training, they are able to do assessments and support in obtaining a diagnosis.
To be honest, I might not be! Counsellors are like shoes, just because they’re the right size, doesn’t mean they fit. The best indicator of whether or not a counsellor is a good fit is how YOU feel when you talk to them. Do you feel heard, understood, and respected? Did we work on what you wanted to work on? Did the approach feel helpful to you? Are you experiencing positive change in your life?
If after our sessions you feel that we are not a good fit, let us know! We’re more than happy to support you in finding a counsellor who would be a better fit for you.
Well, that depends on you! Our work varies depending on what’s going on in your life. Most times, my clients find counselling to be a helpful space for gaining clarity, finding solutions to problems, and removing harmful narratives that keep you from achieving your goals and/or having great relationships.
Online counselling works very similarly to in-person counselling, except no travel time is required. To prepare for your online counselling sessions, make sure your device is charged, that you have access to the internet, and that you are in a quiet, secured place where you won’t be interrupted. Clients who prefer integrating art into our work also tend to have their favorite art supplies nearby.
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occupying the stolen, ancestral territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), S’ólh Téméxw (Stó:lō), Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh), Qayqayt, and kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem) peoples. Our relationship with these lands dictates our commitment to understanding and responding to the ongoing impacts of colonization in our practices in and out of the counselling room.
Learn more about the land you’re occupying at native-land.ca
We believe that therapy should be accessible and transparent, which is why we provide clear information about our counselling rates. Whether you’re seeking individual support or specialized therapeutic approaches, our team is here to help. Learn more about our services and philosophy at Venturous Counselling and Consulting.
Understanding the cost of therapy is an important step in your journey. Check out our detailed information on counselling Rates and payment options to help you make an informed decision.
